W.H. launches Israel P.R. offensive

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The W.H. is trying to reassure Jewish leaders about the relationship between the U.S. and Israel.
AP photo composite by POLITICO

Both Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week sent out notably warm congratulatory messages on the occasion of Israel’s Independence Day celebration, conveying personal best wishes to Netanyahu. White House political adviser David Axelrod spoke at an Independence Day event hosted by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren in Washington and then this week at the National Jewish Democratic Council.

Clinton gave a friendly speech last week to a revived pro-Israel Middle East peace think tank headed by former Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) and Slimfast heir Danny Abraham, and National Security Adviser Jim Jones spoke this week at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the pro-Israel think tank, receiving a standing ovation both before and after his remarks.

On Thursday, the White House sent National Security Council Iran strategist Dennis Ross and Susan Sher, first lady Michelle Obama’s chief of staff, to meet with more than 20 Jewish House Democrats to give them reassurances about Obama’s support for Israel and his commitment to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

And in Jerusalem on Friday, Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell went out of his way at a public appearance with Netanyahu to reiterate Obama’s Independence Day message to Israel, adding: “That has been American policy. That is American policy. That will be American policy. The president has stated it clearly and convincingly, and I am here today as a tangible demonstration of the workings of that policy on a day-to-day basis on issues of critical interest to both our governments and our people.”

“What everyone was concerned about is that the White House is losing the Jewish community,” said a congressional staffer, describing the meeting with Ross and Sher. “And they are not explaining what they doing. They are late to beat back [the chatter] that Obama doesn’t like Bibi [Netanyahu], that Obama is an anti-Semite. The same way they were late to beat back the ‘death panel’” charges from right-wing groups last fall during the health care reform debate.

“They finally figured out there is a campaign being run against them,” he continued. “It’s not just a coincidence that there are full-page newspaper ads” telling Obama to ease up on Netanyahu. “The problem is, if they let these things go, it spreads. …There is a difference in how you package things.”

The reference was to separate appeals from two influential Jewish leaders, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and World Jewish Congress President Ron Lauder who each took out ads urging Obama to ease up pressure on Netanyahu.

“Israel has made unprecedented concessions,” Lauder wrote in his open letter to Obama, which he later told The New York Times had been approved by Netanyahu.

Still, officials and Washington Middle East watchers emphasize, that what has changed is the public relations strategy for the policy, not U.S. policy. And that does not change the fact that substantive disagreements remain between the U.S. and Israeli governments on issues such as East Jerusalem.

But the National Jewish Democratic Council’s David A. Harris believes most pro-Israel groups can tolerate such disagreements if the administration’s goodwill toward Israel is understood.

“The bottom line is that Israel needs to be a bipartisan issue,” Harris said, noting that American Jews are overwhelmingly Democratic, and pro-Israel supporters can’t afford to turn it into a U.S. domestic partisan debate.

Truly, this is an administration filled with clowns and buffoons. Who decided to pick the fight on settlements? It was NEVER a deal breaker before Obama went ballistic on it. They spilled the milk, and now they are trying to mop it up, claiming "nothing has changed."

They actually do believe everyone is completely STUPID and cannot see through their duplicity and hypocrisy. Give me a break!

americans need to step back and take a hard look at us policy towards israel. here we are fighting two wars in a violent unstable region to attempt to bring stability to it in the future. all the while the united states great "friend" israel is basically insighting hostility towards the united states in a very public way. it was not the u.s. that started this rift. the israeli prime minister came to the u.s. to meet with our president and the american administration and did not like what he heard. i think the israelis are used to getting what they want from this country. not out of merit but out of aggressive lobbying and hardball tactics. after the meeting netanyahu - a ultra right wing conservative who helped push the u.s. in to iraq 7 years ago on lies - decided to call obamas bluff and the white houses bluff and play hardball tactics with the u.s. admin. they decided to slap this admin. in the face on a goodwill visit in the eyes of the world by announcing a settlement expansion not on the month of bidens visit or the week kids....but the day of bidens visit. and what does israel that lieves as a leech of the american people expect should result from that. that u.s. foreign policy in the middle east should be subject to israels rubber stamp?? that the 95% of americans who aren't jews in this country should continue paying the price indefinetly for israels intransigance??? israel in the end doesn't know whats in its own best interest. it is full of short term thinkers and short term minds who rovianly cannot see past the next news cycle or next election. israel is a nation and so is the u.s. israels long term survival necessitates that they - as the power they consider themselves - take a strong stance for once in the name of peace and stop cowering behind the might of the u.s. as an american i will say this. i stand 100% behind this administration in its efforts to resolve these long standing issues correctly and not just kicking the can down the road for another admin. american jews need to stop believing that its some how in their interests to support the far right wing zionists that have created such havoc in this world. it there was ever an issue for an american president to show balls on this is it. and as i knew before i campaigned and voted for obama, this is a president who will try to resolve the middle eastern problems in a serious way for once. israel has an obligation. despite what you "experts" tell you i assure you that people are watching and see the slimey game that jewish interests in this country are trying to play - against american interests. as for schumer,......your done for senate majority leader. you can wave that bye bye now. im for durbin - someone who will put american interests and lives first...

It is about time someone took notice of this deplorable treatment of our ally at the hands of an embarassingly inexperienced administration. This White House is walking a fine line between taking a hard line and outright antisemitism.

From the time Obama gave his speech in Cairo up until now, there can be no doubt that the American President does not value the special relationship between the US and Israel.

Equally troubling is the response of the American Jewish community. Could they be more blind and naive?

I applauded Obama for reaching out to the Muslim countries, but have grown alarmed at the tenor displayed towards Israel.

During the '08 election many people turned a blind eye when Palestinians worked phone banks on Obama's behalf from Gaza, and donated to his campaign.

There will be no blind eye in 2012. The blinders are off, and so are the gloves. Hillary Clinton certainly recognizes the importance of this alliance better than Obama. Perhaps she would be a better candidate in 2012.

As we hear more from this administration, I am beginning to believe that even Tim Pawlenty, or Mitt Romney would have a better appreciation than that demonstrated by Obama.

Thursday, April 22, 2010 Army General: Obama's an Anti-Semite Who's Making Middle East More Dangerous

Retired U.S. Army Major General, Chairman of the Center for Security Policy in DC, and CEO of Stand Up America Paul Vallely criticizes the dangerous policies of the Obama administration, and explains how our "new approach" towards Israel and the mixed messages we're sending to radical Islam run the risk of seriously destabilizing the Middle East.